Auxiliary feeding means for loading machinery



' C. G. PFEIFFER AUXILIARY FEEDING MEANS FOR LOADINGMACHINERY Jan. 3, 1928.

Filed Jan. 9. 1926 2 sheets-sneer 1 W I TNESSES Patented Jan. 3, 1928. I

UNITED AvSTATES 1,654,829 PATENT OFFICE.

`minimis e. rrnmnn, or rmannnrnia, rniiiisnvniu. assiGNon 'ro srly cIALrY ENGINEERING comm, or PHILADELPHIA, rniiirsnvairu, A conroiwr'ioii oir rmiiisrnvanu.

AUXILIABY FEEDDIG HANS FOB LOADING MACHINERY.

appiiaonaiea January 91926. -seran in. cosas.

l sand or coal, from a ground pile to a convenient height for subsequent gravity discharge into waiting wagons, trucks Vor cars. In loaders ofthe character referred to, an inclined endless bucket conveyor is customarily employed as the elevating means; and

in use the lowerfend of the conveyor is nosed into the ground pile of the mate-- rial to enable the elevating buckets of the conveyor to take hold of it. With loading machinery as ordinarily constructed, the

field of activity of the buckets is obviously confined to an area defined solely by the width of the latter, so that incidental to its operation, the position of the loader must 0 necessity be changed quite frequently relative to the ground pile, with consequent loss lof time. Y

The main or underlying obJect of my invention is to obviate the'necessity for such frequent shifting of the loader and the loss of time entailed, by increasing the Working scope of the elevating conveyor. This end I attain with feeding means that cooperates, in an auxiliary capacity to gather unto itself the material from the round pile and to advance the same later y, from opposite sides, into the path of the conveyor buckets so as to be scooped up bythem, and elevated for the purpose previously explained. c

A further object of my invention is to attain the foregoing advantage in an auxilia feeding means of the type outlined, capa le of initially breaking up or disinte ting the material-when necessary-.to gilitate its pr ression to, and reception by, the buckets o the elevating conveyor. 0

With reference to the drawings, Fig. I is an illustration in side elevation-more or less diagrammatically represented-of a well known type of loading machine equipped with auxiliary feeding means convenientl embodying my invention; and,

Fig. Ill, is a perspective view of the front or nose end of the loader, and showing .the operative relation of my auxiliary feeding means to the bucket conveyor.

The loader herein shown is of the portable type involving the use of a standard form of gasoline tractor 5 that is relied on for propulsion and actuation, said tractor being characterized by the usual rear drive wheels 6, as well as front steering .wheels 7 which are controllable by the hand wheel shown at 8.' The parts of the loader proper are Stlported by upright frames 9 10, respectiv y at the rear and forward ends of the tractor 5,

and include an inclined housing 11 in which v an endless elevating conveyor 12 runs under support and guidance of sprocket wheels 13, 14 fast upon upper and lower shafts 15, 16. As shown, the conveyor 12 comprises a series of scooping buckets 17 vdesigned to lift the material from a ground pile to the levelof the upper sprocket shaft 15 where it is dumped onto a horizontal conveyor belt 18 for progression over the top of the tractor 5, and gravity discharge, beyond the conlines of the latter, in an obvious and well known manner. The horizontal conveyor belt 18 runs about end pulleys 1920, whereof the latter is secured to a shaft 21, which, on the side of the structure remote from the observer in Fig. I, is coordinated, by means of a sprocket chain 22, with a transverse or counter shaft 23 which in turn derives motion from the tractor 5 through a sprocket chain connection 24.l The elevating bucket conveyor 12 is similarly driven from the shaft 21, already mentioned, by a sprocket chain connection 25. In the use of the loaderZ the lower end of the bucket conveyor 12 is nosed into the pile of the material which is to be handled, to enable the buckets 17 to scoop it up in passing, and to elevate it for discharge upon the horizontal conveyor belt 18 and disposal by the latter in the manner explained. v

The general operation and use of the loader being now understood, I will proceed to describe, in detail, the auxiliary feeding means with which this invention is more particularly concerned. With reference to Fig. II, it will be observed that the lower sprocket shaft 16 of the bucket conveyor 12 has its ends extended beyond the frame bearings 27 in which it is journalled, to take the two component elements 28, 29 which jointly constitute my auxiliar feeding means. These elements are vo ute or spiral in form, and exact counterparts except for the fact that one is a right hand and the other a left hand spiral. In the present vinstance, each of the spirals 28, 29 shoivn as fabricated from sheet material, rand'in four sections which are collectively supported by radial arms 8() of rectangular cross section affixed at intervals to the projecting ends of the shaft 16, it being important to note that the contiguous ends of adjacent sections .are secured to opposite sides of said arms. By virtue of their position in the assemblages, the radial varms 8() constitute interruptions or lateral offsets-in the spirals that function as hereinafter s'et forth. The ends of the arms 30 are extended beyond the peripheral edges of the'spiralsr the` 28, 29, andjpointed as atly toserve in capacity ofvdigging spurs.

In thev operation of my improved auxiliary feeding means, the lateral offsets formed'in them by the arms 30 serve as paddles .to gather in the material of the ground pile for lateral transfer, under thethe effective area of activity of the elevating conveyor .12, with regardto the ground pile, is materially increased to the end that a comparativelyVY larger portion of the pile ripheral spur projections adapted to is removed `vvith each positionalchangc of the loader as a whole thereby obviating necessity for frequent shifting of the latter.

incidental to a loading operation, and saving time whichwould otherwise be wasted. 1I Iaving thus described my invention, I c aim:

1. In loadingr machinery of ,the class described, the combination `ofv an elevating-bucketconveyor, and. auxiliary feeding means .comprising oppositely directed spirals j on a common shaft for advancing the material to be-elevated into 'the path ofthe con-y veyorv buckets, each said'spiraly being composed of sections collectively supported by radial arms affording lateral transfer means with peripheral-projections adapted to dis.- integrate the material'initially.

2. In loading machinery of lthe class` described, the .combination of an elevating bucket-conveyor, andlauxiliary feeding means comprising right andleft hand spirals on a common lshaft for advancing the material to be elevated into the path of the conveyor buckets, each said spiral comprising components Vcollectively supported by square section radial arms, thev contiguous ends of adjacent sections being secured vto opposite sides of said arms and thereby affording lateral transfer paddles with e- 1S- integrate the material initially. l

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto .signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 5th day ofA January, 1926.

Vania, this CHARLES G. PFEIFFER. 

